The Junior League Asks: Is 'Betty Draper' a Role Model for Today's Women?

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - December 12, 2009) - The fictional star of TV's Emmy Awarding- winning Mad Men is a stay-at-home mother, an active member of the Junior League of Tarrytown (now called the Junior League of Westchester-on- Hudson) and a key mover in the League's local environmental efforts.

But how typical is Betty of real Junior League members (all 160,000 of them)?

While many Junior League members take time off from work to raise families, 71% of members work full or part time outside of the home. Many members do some combination of both: work, stay at home, and go back to work again. And all, like Betty, are actively involved in civic leadership in their own communities.

Here are just a few of The Junior League's change agents.

--  Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), member of the Junior League of New York
    and the proud sponsor of a House bill to establish a National Women's
    History Museum on the Mall in Washington.
--  Jan Langbein, The Senior Policy Advisor at the Office on Violence
    Against Women at the U.S. Department of Justice and a 27-year member of the
    Junior League of Dallas.
--  Betty Simms, U.S. Senate, Missouri, has made significant contributions
    to improving the health, economic, and social well-being of women and
    children.
--  Rose Hudson, President and CEO of the Louisiana Lottery Corporation.
--  Kay Hagan, U.S. Senate, North Carolina, "one of the smartest, hardest
    working, most effective senators in North Carolina," according to Governor
    Mike Easley, credits her experience with The Junior League.
--  Gena Lovett, COO, Alexandra Investment Management, a New York hedge
    fund.
--  Glenda E. Hood, former Florida Secretary of State and Mayor of
    Orlando.
--  Pat Evans, former three-term Mayor of Plano, was Plano's "Citizen of
    the Year" in 2004.
--  Dee Dickinson, one of the world's foremost experts on learning and
    human development.
--  The Honorable Sandra Day O'Connor, the first female Supreme Court
    Justice.
    

About The Association of Junior Leagues International www.ajli.org.

Founded in 1901 by New Yorker, Mary Harriman, the Junior Leagues are charitable nonprofit organizations of women, developed as civic leaders, creating demonstrable community impact.

Today, The Association of Junior Leagues International Inc. (AJLI) is comprised of more than 160,000 women in 292 Junior Leagues throughout Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom and the United States. Together, they constitute one of the largest, most effective volunteer organizations in the world.

Contact Information: Media Contact: Rosalia Scampoli 212-537-5177, Ext 7